The elevator ride up was painful, the screams of the outside world burning through my Rotom Phone as I heard people pleas for help. Homes were destroyed, and people were running in terror. Only we could stop this if we didn't. If I lose.
Unable to bear the noises anymore, I switched off my phone, looking down and trembling. It was only Goodra holding my head that brought me back. I looked up at him, wiping my tears. "Thanks, buddy. All of this right now just felt more real all of a sudden. We've handled situations like this before, but I've never seen it affect so many people... Let's save them, hey, Goodra, Mimi?"
My two partners backed me up as I smiled, my heart skipping a beat as we reached the top. "Here we go."
Ready for the worst, an ambush, an onslaught of Team Rainbow Rocket Members, him waiting for us. I was taken back to find the roof empty. Looking around, I kept close to my Pokemon, not letting my guard down. Stepping back, I couldn't help but look to Hammerlocke and the rest of the region, that sense of dread building at the destruction. "How do we come back from this?" Feeling the building shake, I kept my balance, ensuring I did not fall to a quick demise. Pivoting my head, I gasped as a stray dragon attack blasted at me. Goodra quickly pushed me back, tanking the hit and sliding around. Taking a look, the situation only felt worse as the Pokemon that had been the cause of this was in front of us.
The Darkest Day. Eternatus..
Goodra was already slightly weakened from several fights and was ready to stand proud once more. Zorua stood by my side as I nodded. "Let's do this."
Eternatus Appeared.
With Goodra by my side, there was nothing we couldn't do. As the battle began, I pulled out my Rotom Phone, trying to get any reading on this new Pokemon. Nothing came up; there wasn't a single thing on this Pokemon apart from multiple errors. "To hell with it, we'll just have to go all out, Goodra hold nothing back. Use iron head!"
Goodra stepped back, readying himself, hightailing it at Eternatus, crashing right through it, flinching the Pokemon immediately. Relief swept over me as I couldn't help but give a little fist pump in celebration. Talk about luck. "We can't let this situation fall by quickly, Goodra. Don't let it retaliate. Use Dragon Pulse!"
Goodra responded with a powerful surge of energy, launching a vibrant beam of draconic power towards Eternatus. The Legendary Pokémon countered with a roar, barely flinching as the attack connected.
Super effective!
Eternatus retaliated with a Dynamax Cannon, unleashing a devastating beam of energy, which Goodra was forced to take the heavy blow, almost bringing him down. My heart continued to race, and my concern for Goodra rose. I already had his Pokeball ready for a quick switch, but his eyes changed everything.
He was more determined than ever. Unable to bring myself back down now, I nodded, ready.
"Goodra, use Thunderbolt!" I shouted. Electric energy crackled around Goodra's body as it released a powerful lightning bolt towards Eternatus. The Legendary Pokémon roared in discomfort, its form flickering slightly.
Now was the time to act strategically. "Goodra, let's try to paralyse Eternatus! Use Thunderbolt again!" Goodra obeyed, releasing a wave of electrical energy that washed over Eternatus. The Legendary Pokémon's movements slowed, and it seemed momentarily hindered.
Feeling a surge of confidence, I tossed an Ultra Ball towards Eternatus, hoping to catch it off guard. The ball enveloped the Legendary Pokémon, shaking once... twice... my heart raced with anticipation. But Eternatus burst free, its eyes glaring with defiance.
Undeterred, I continued the battle. "Goodra, use Muddy Water to disrupt its focus!" I ordered. Goodra unleashed a wave of muddy water, obscuring Eternatus's vision and hopefully making it easier to catch.
With another Ultra Ball, I hurled it towards the Legendary Pokémon. However, before my Ultra Ball could land, someone else beat me to the field as a Master Ball engulfed the legendary Pokemon, imprisoning it without a chance.
One... two... Three. Eternatus was caught. This was followed by a chuckle that sent a chill down my spine. Spinning around, I was caught off guard, finding Giovanni standing by the elevator, hands in his pockets with a smug look. "You've played your part well in all this; I thank you, Y/N."
"You... Stop right there; you can't have this Pokemon."
Giovanni stopped shifting his gaze to the Master Ball and my team. "Oh, is that so? But I caught Eternatus fair and square; as a trainer, it isn't right to block another trainer's prize."
"You're no trainer! You don't see Pokemon as friends; they're just tools for you!"
"You're not wrong; I used to think the same way you did at one point many years ago. I thought the power of friendship and love was enough to get me places. It isn't. You should know that, too." He taunted, continuing to smirk. "But do not take my intentions wrong; we, too, are connected to our partner Pokémon. It's just a slightly more...nefarious connection."
"What do you want with Eternatus?"
"What else? Power. The little mind games you so gracefully fell for were enough to keep you out of harm's way. After all, you dealt such a heavy blow to our forces in Alola; steps needed to be taken to keep you away. While you were running around challenging gyms with no care in the world, my team were busy. Now look, we have this region on its knees and a Pokemon capable of bringing the Darkest Day upon any Region. And it all thanks to you and the Chairman."
Zorua growled as I gripped my fist, shaking my head. "I don't care what you did to me; your plans stop here; what you did to Leaf, to the other me, it's unforgivable. Your evil plans are finished!"
"There is no such thing as good or evil when it comes to power. There is only power...and those who are willing to use it. You'll come to see that soon enough. And I don't care if you like it or not." He spoke with a threatening tone, holding a Master Ball. "If you intend to continue to stand in my way, I will crush you."
Team Rainbow Rocket Giovanni Will Defeat You...
Giovanni slouched back, chucking his Master Ball out and sending out Nidoking, its overwhelming power burning into my mind. Giovanni chuckled; his cold eyes bore into mine, and the air crackled with an unspoken challenge. My heart pounded as I released my trusted Goodra onto the battlefield. Little did I know I was about to witness a one-sided clash.
"Goodra, let's give it our best shot! Start with Dragon Pulse!" I commanded, determined to make a stand against Giovanni. Goodra responded with a burst of energy, launching a vibrant beam of draconic power toward Giovanni's Nidoking.
To my dismay, Nidoking barely flinched. Giovanni's eyes locked onto me, revealing a hint of amusement. "You underestimate the power of Team Rainbow Rocket," he sneered. "Nidoking, show them your power! Use Earthquake!" Giovanni's voice echoed through the air as Nidoking unleashed a devastating tremor. Goodra struggled to maintain its footing, the ground quaking beneath us. "Spare them no mercy, Fire Punch, now!" Giovanni's command was swift, and Nidoking lunged at Goodra with a blazing jab. The attack landed with brutal precision, leaving Goodra burnt and weakened.
Despite my best efforts, the battle spiralled out of control. Giovanni's Nidoking continued its assault ruthlessly, dodging Goodra's attacks and retaliating with brutal force. The room echoed with each collision, each strike more punishing than the last.
Desperation set in as I tried to rally Goodra for a comeback, but Giovanni remained composed, revelling in the one-sided nature of the battle. Nidoking's powerful Thrash sent Goodra to the ground, defeated and exhausted. Falling to my knees, I tried helping Goodra, horrified by our quick defeat. Biting my lip, I looked to Zorua, unwilling to give up as I went to order. "Mi-."
Nidoking didn't give us a chance, lunging at Zorua, picking her up, and gripping my partner by her neck. My eyes widened as I stumbled forward, screaming. "Mimi!"
"You still insist on battling on your own in a situation like this?" He instructed with authority, staring me down. "Give up, or this weakling will be an example of."
Staring at Zorua, horrified, I felt my words trembling away as I looked down, giving up. "Pl-Please don't hurt her."
"Good. I must say, I'm impressed. It took much longer than anticipated to wear you down. I see. You're unwilling to overwork your Pokémon that's already been hurt in battle." He responded, picking up the Master Ball as Nidoking threw Zorua aside.
Catching her, I held Zorua tight, teary-eyed. "Mimi, are you alright?"
Zorua gave a weak whimper as I looked up at Giovanni with pure hate. "Do not take this personally. You simply don't have the power to stop me; I don't expect children like you to understand. But that look, you still intend on stopping me? How laughable."
I already had my hand on Roaring Moon and Iron Valiant; they've never let me down; if I can get the drop on him, it's over.
"Do you plan on using those weak Paradox Pokemon too? I advise agaisnt it, if you know what's good for you, you'll turn around and leave... No? Get ready to feel a world of pain if you plan on disobeying my orders."
Giovanni sent out Eternatus, the Pokemon growing in power as it began to Dynamax. A heavy cloud poured over the powerplant, a nightmare of a creature towering over us.
"This is the power of Dynamax! All who stand against Team Rainbow Rocket will meet the same fate, total destruction!" A helicopter appeared behind with several Team Rainbow Rocket grunts waiting. Giovanni stepped on, tipping his hat. "And soon this world will be mine. Fwahahaha!"
My eyes were fixated on our doom. Eternatus began charging another much stronger Dynamax Cannon. We didn't stand a chance against it, and I was unable to move, exhaustion and fear overtaking me. All I could do was hold Zorua close, staring down the end.
Tears streamed down my face, my heart racing.
Goodra stood up, holding on with his last breath.
Standing in front of us, he blocked the oncoming strike.
"Goodra... What are you doing? No, Goodra, you can't! If you take another hit, you'll." Reach for Goodra's Pokeball. I tried recalling him time and time again. But every attempt failed.
Goodra refused.
Goodra looked at me, smiling, reassuring me everything would be alright. "No, no! Goodra, please! Don't do it!"
Eternatus' attack was blasted down on us. Goodra was taking the full force. Holding my Pokeball up, I tried with all my effort to bring him back, my heart breaking.
Gripping the Pokeball so tightly, I screamed as it shattered in my hand. The ball snapped in half as the attack ended.
Goodra fell to the ground, not responding. Zorua and I were speechless. The single attack from Eternatus came and went as it was gone and returned to its new master.
Slowly rising to my feet, I stared blankly, the darkness slowly fading. From the clouds, a single light rippled down on Goodra as I began to drag my feet over to him. Nothing made sense; I couldn't think straight, Goodra's smile replaying repeatedly.
"G-Goodra... Goodra? Wake up, hey. Goodra." Kneeling, I began shaking him. "Goodra... No, Goodra! Hey!"
I watched Giovanni escape as Salamance and Zinnia rippled around, landing before us. Catching sight of the situation, she looked just as shocked. "Y/N!"
Fumbling through my bags, I began taking out all my medicine. Potions, Full Restores. I tried them all, but nothing was working. Zinnia tried pulling me away as I fought back. "Let go of me! Let go! No! Goodra!"
Breaking free from her grip, I had a dozen revives in hand as I tried using each one. When one failed, I threw it to the ground, breaking it. "It has to work, it has to. I can't; I refuse to believe it. No, this isn't real!"
Holding a Max Revive, I tried using it only for Zinnia to hold my arm, looking just as traumatised. I gave up. I gave in. Dropping the revive, I cried, Zinnia and Zorua trying to comfort me.
"He's gone. He's gone. GOODRA!!!"
"It's my fault. It's all my fault."
Zinnia held me close, holding back her tears and shaking her head. "Don't say that. Please don't say that. Y-You did your best, Goodra..."
"He protected me, Zinnia... Even until the end, he protected me. Goodra... I'm so sorry."
Sword and Shield Arc END...